Gansler made the request to the Maryland Insurance Administration on Tuesday.

Gansler said that some insurance executives are threatening rate hikes of 25 percent, reaching 100 to 150 percent for some consumers, and Maryland families can't afford that.

The attorney general also is asking for public reviews of any such requests after six months.

Gansler said decisions about rate increases should be based on actual data after federal health care reform is implemented. He says they should not be based on projections that serve the needs of insurance company executives.